Vacationers and eWOM

Who Posts, and Why, Where, and What

Bibliographic Data

ID19608005
AuthorsFred Bronner (0000-0002-9440-5695, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Robert De Hoog (University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands,)
Year2010
Volume50
Issue1
Pages15-26
Publication date2010-01-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTravel Research Bulletin (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0147-2399 • E-ISSN: 1552-6763
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0047287509355324
OpenAlexW2123741136
LanguageEN
Citations received71
References cited23

Vacationers not only read and use information from the Internet during their choice process, but also post information on the Internet. This posted information is described as eWOM (electronic word of mouth). The central questions are, which type of vacationers do post, with which motivations do they post reviews, on which type of site, and what are the message characteristics? These questions are approached in a way that differs from the usual site-centered approach. It is topic-centered and independent of a specific review site, and it focuses on motivations for all vacation sites. The conclusion is that why a vacationer makes a contribution influences the choice of a site to which he or she contributes and what he or she contributes. The main discriminating motivational factor is the one that sets vacationers with a primarily self-directed motivation apart from those with a more other-directed help motivation. Implications for tourism research and vacation marketing are discussed

Advertising · Business · Political science · The Internet · Tourism · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Psychology · Sharing Economy and Platforms · Marketing